The Fullmetal Maze Runner
by KamiShuriken
Summary: Following Greed and his group as they fight to figure out why they are trapped within a maze and just what is waiting for them on the otherside. Everything gets just that bit more interesting when a new Greenie arrives, a mad, young man by the name of Kimblee, who disrupts the peace and forces everyone to question their reality.
1. Lighten up a Little

The air was cool, sunlight just beginning to peek over the edges of the great maze walls warming the lush, green grass and trees that blanketed the Glade. It was the first real day that a young Edward had joined the Gladers and Greed was already worried about him. He'd done nothing but stare off into the distance, repeating his name under muffled breaths and staring at his hands as if there was something there but he couldn't quite see it. Greed had no idea what to do about this, and so, had taken to mostly watching him from a distance just to make sure he didn't hurt himself, letting some other Gladers know to keep an eye out as well.

The boy looked about thirteen, with shoulder length, golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a seriously unfitting grimace that could sour milk. His bright, yellow eyes were dulled the moment he could remember his name. Greed just assumed he thought it was ugly or something. After all, 'Edward' was probably the most boring name they'd heard on the Glade so far.

"_Call me Ed_," The child had said before becoming totally silent to the group from that moment on.

Now that the morning had come, and Ed was no longer allowed to mope in his sleeping bag, Maes, a tall, kind looking man and definitely one of the older ones of the group, was showing Ed the gardens. He brought him through the strawberry patch and pointed out the different types of vegetables they were growing. Roy had already introduced their low quality beds the night before - simple hammocks, or ragged looking sleeping bags if you were lucky - and was now busy building another shelter for any more Greenies who may end up joining them… which was exactly what Greed was supposed to be doing.

"Ahem." Roy's low cough brought Greed back to attention and he shrugged sheepishly in return. "He's not going to go insane the moment you take your eyes off him."

Greed could only laugh at that, moving back into his working rhythm, picking up the long branches they'd stripped from the trees the day before. It was a simple shelter, not that they needed anything more solid. Any rainfall was a blessing and dried very quickly in the hot sun.

"Hey, you never know." Was his reply, another worn shrug to go with it. "I've seen it happen before, Mustang."

The Gladers had grown accustomed to calling the black haired teen 'Mustang'. He was built like a horse - Greed insisted everyone used their imaginations when they first asked why he was called that. He got a lot of confused and shocked expressions before Roy made him tell them the real reason - and ran for ages without needing a break. A good Runner he was, but unfortunately not that fast. He would always lead the team if he sensed any danger on their way back or through the maze. He was good like that. Careful, and with great instinct.

Roy snorts at the nickname and shakes his head. "Whatever, Bossman." They smirk at eachother and continue their work.

The makeshift cabin took until nightfall to be completed, with countless extra hands helping out here and there to give both Roy and Greed a break to go grab some food or take a drink. They were used to the process by now, the two older members, plus Maes on occasion, would start building-projects and rally in help from the others to teach them a thing or two just in case they'd need it. Passing on the survival tips and all that. Roy generally did that part, explaining what needed to be done with precision and care, like a true leader, unlike Greed.

Usually someone would ask why Roy wasn't in charge of things, since clearly he was more organized, but it was always met with a laugh and a shrug. Maes explained it was because Greed had been there the longest of anyone. He knew the most and therefore should be the leader by proxy.

Tonight was one of those nights.

With the Runners having returned safely once more, everyone had gathered in the main cabin for the nights meal to properly welcome their new green bean, Edward. Sitting around the hearth in the center of the room, everyone was chattering comfortably, laughing and talking about their day, sharing jokes and gushing over their special dinner of vegetable soup, laden with tasty, meaty chunks. The older Gladers encircled their young charges, letting them stay warm by the fire as the night grew cold.

It was Ed who spoke up, breaking his full day silence to ask the question on any Greenbean's mind.

"So why's he the leader?" The quiet question broke the buzzing chatter, a wooden spoon jabbing hesitantly in Greed's direction, "And why's he called Greed? That's not a name." His frown was still there, deepened by the shadows cast by the flickering fire before him.

The room fell silent, some Gladers snorted and nudged eachother. Like clockwork, the newbies always ask some variation of the question, and by now it had become an inside joke. There was an equally sudden eruption of faint grumbles and moans around the mess of tired boys, Greed guessed that some of the kids had placed bets, hoping on Ed's continued silence so that they could win an extra piece of bread or chunk of meat. The looks on their faces proved as much when they gave up some of their food to their sniggering companions.

Ed didn't seem to be too bothered by it, his eyes were on Greed, now completely unwavering.

Roy gave him a look, catching Greed's gaze as if to ask if he was going to tell him or not. Purple eyes locked with black, only breaking away to meet young, golden ones. With a heavy sigh Greed nodded.

"I'm the leader because I've been here the longest." He pointed out simply, not even managing to explain his namesake before Ed struck again sharply.

"I can't believe that." Was the instant reply.

Greed raised his brow and stood, bowl placed on the floor with a hollow clack as he did so. Around the hearth others exchanged looks, some smirking uncertainly, others intrigued by what the greeny had to say.

"And why's that, kid?"

"I watched you today, that other guy-" A bowl raised in Roy's direction, "-was doing most of the work." He took a bite of his food thoughtfully, eyes still on the two elder Glader's, calculating. "I don't believe you were here for a whole month on your own."

Ah, so someone had explained how things were run here, that's good. It saved Greed from having to explain later.

"That's…" It occurred to him that not everyone in the room knew the answer to this either. Eager eyes watched him, waiting for half truths, disappointment, or utter avoidance of the question. Even Roy was looking at him now. "... Correct."

Maes gave a sigh from the corner as he stood as well, moving over to join Greed giving him a heavy slap on the back. He didn't say anything, just looked around and smiled at the younger ones sadly before taking a seat by Roy.

Greed continued, Ed's stare becoming a little unnerving for such a small boy.

"The first guy here was a man by the name of Hoenheim. Weird dude, I'll admit. Total dad material." Greed snorts, "Then Bradley. He was honestly pretty scary, you could never tell what he was thinking. He was the first Runner." A bitter laugh, "I'll admit, he's the reason I'm called Greed, we made jokes about him bringing down his Wrath upon us and it kinda stuck from there. Next was Sloth, I don't remember that guy's name at all, it was really hard to pronounce so we collectively decided Sloth was just quicker. He and Wrath built this cabin all you lazybones' are sitting in right now." His eyes glanced over the faces of the children, mockingly accusatory, "I came next. I'm more of a Runner too, so I spent a lot of time with Bradley out in the maze." In an afterthought he adds, "I do not recommend that experience." He lifts a hand, showing on his fingers the number of Gladers as he names the remaining few, motioning briefly to the man beside Roy as he spoke, "Our very own Maes came the next month. Then Roa, Gluttony, Martel, Bido and Dolcetto." It's at this he finally grimaces, unsure of what else to add. The warm expression on his face as he named his old friends had faded with his words, the hush in the room was the only respectful response the others could give him.

Ed seemed to pick up on it, setting his own bowl down and tilting his head, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Where are they now?" It was one question that anyone could have answered, but they didn't. They were waiting for Greed's permission, or to see if he wanted to tell the new kid anything yet. It was the bitter cold look that had made it's home in Greed's eyes that confirmed that he did.

"We call them Homunculi."


	2. Being Leader is Suffering

"S'what exactly _are_ the 'Humanculi'?" It seemed that since Ed decided to start talking he wouldn't leave Greed's side, trailing him around as he collected logs and insisting that he told him more about the workings of the glade. Everyone had been as up front and honest as possible since they didn't believe lying or hiding information was very productive, but there was only so much knowledge the others had that Greed claimed tenfold of.

"Okay kid, first of all, it's _Homunculi. _Like the plural of Homunculous, right?" Greed pushes an armful of logs into Ed's hands as he works. If he was going to hang around he may as well be useful and help collect the firewood for the night. The boy's eyes narrow, the cogs clearly working behind that ever curious noggin of his. It seemed the extra ways of pronouncing the word helped him figure out how it might have been spelt.

"Riiight… Okay. _Homunculi_." Ed sniffs and looks back to Greed, "So what are they? An' stop calling me _kid_!"

Greed steadies a too large log on a flat surface and weighs his knife in his palm, a deep frown on his face. Not from the question, but more because he didn't want to blunt his blade anymore with something they ideally needed an axe for. It takes his mind a moment to process the question before he throws the weapon down on the floor and takes a seat on the log, glancing up at the teen. Ed returns the look, shifting the wood in his arms to a more comfortable position.

"I'm not… totally sure, to be perfectly honest with yah." Greed links his fingers, elbows resting on his knees, "From what I've gathered, if they get you, you won't see it - only feel immense pain - like being stabbed, only not…" He does a vague knifing motion and Ed just stares.

From the blonde's expression he was finding it hard to understand what Greed meant, but in a vague, roundabout way he could probably imagine. He'd come to realize that the Glade Leader wasn't exactly the most eloquent with his words.

Greed continues, "It's like an infectious sting, only it drives you mad until you lose your mind completely, like totally batshit." He looks as if he was going to say more but he stops, but Ed picks up on it immediately, going through all the possible outcomes of something that dangerous in such a small place like this.

"So y'killed 'em?" Blunt, but not without a childish look of apprehension and fear mixed in at the thought. "I mean, like, if y'got madmen running around out here, it's you or them, right?"

Greed opens his mouth as if he were about to contest the point but he finds himself closing it again to shake his head, "Nah, no killing, not me," he sighs, finally dropping his gaze and standing up. "Well - I guess you may just find out some day."

Ed almost drops the firewood in protest but he keeps a hold of it and shifts his weight to accommodate the change, "Why can't I know right now?!" It was a pretty justifiable question. He didn't want to find out how to deal with crazy at the same time as being attacked by the aforementioned crazy.

Greed smirks at the teen and ruffles his hair with a rough hand before leaning down to collect his knife, leaving the log where it is.

"All in good time, Ed. Now come on, we have other work to do instead of leisurely chatter."

The day passes lazily, the heat of the sun casting a warm, comfortable glow across the glade. Voices drift over grass from distant conversations, the faded thumps of axes stripping branches echo through the trees. All in all, it was the same as everyday, but Ed was only just getting to grips with it.

Greed had watched over him the entire day, taking him around the small forested area to show him their river, to the rickety, wooden bridge that tracked it's way over it, and the tiny spit of land in the center. The Gladers had small, worn tents up and mats placed out on the grass. Greed explained that there wasn't enough room in the main cabin anymore so some of the guys came out here to watch the stars in relative peace before finding slumber. Ed had made some pleased grunts, "_I suppose the water makes for a nice lullaby then, huh."_ Finally they'd trekked their way to Cook and grabbed a couple of sandwiches before the others came piling in for lunch. They'd sat under a tree, shaded from the harsh light, to enjoy their food. It seemed Ed wasn't used to not eating a lot for meals so Greed had given him one of his sandwiches. "_Second real day, I'll let you off."_ He'd said.

And now they were at the walls of the maze.

Ed runs his fingers over the rough surface, speechless at just how tall the walls were from up close. He knew they were way too big to be real, but standing here like this only proved to make him feel even more insignificant in the grand scheme of things. He turns to gape at Greed who only laughs.

"I just can't fuckin' believe it." Ed places both hands on the stone and breathes out, "These things close, right? I think I heard them the other night, but, didn't really pay attention, y'know?"

Greed snorts and nods, "Yeah - pretty incredible really, these babies make a sound louder than anything yet you paid no attention whatsoever. Usually Greenies freak out or get all deep and poetic about it," He shrugs and laughs again, "Trust me, I've seen it all." His tongue flashes out for a second and Ed waves him off.

"Yeah, yeah - guess it can't have been _that_ loud, then, if I didn't hear it!" He insists, sweeping around to lean on the wall, arms folded and chin up, defiant.

Greed is about to reply when he hears a faint echo of footfalls bouncing off the walls inside the maze. He steps to the side to take a better look down the narrow passage, motioning for Ed to join him.

It had to be about six meters wide and a hundred meters long where you'd hit a solid wall that branched off left and right. The rocky surfaces were blanketed in choking vines, gnarly, old and suffocating.

Soon the echoes grew louder, the clapping of shoes on concrete clearer, prompting Ed to move toward the mouth of the passage to stare inside, occasionally glancing back and forth from the maze to a smug looking Greed to see if it was okay.

"What is it?" Ed barely breathes out before a duo of older teens come sprinting around the corners, earning a yelp of surprise from Edward. They didn't stop to acknowledge the newbie at all, only focusing on the path ahead as they ran.

Greed nudges Ed and briefly motions to the other entrances with a finger. Golden eyes follow the direction and he smiles. From the other seeable openings, he could pick out Gladers cheering as their friends stumble out of the maze. "They got back."

Greed note the sound of relief in the statement and nods, turning back to the two Runners who had almost made it through too.

"Ling, Enna, come here a sec."

The Runners slow to a stop in front of their Leader and take the moment to catch their breath, one of them rolling their eyes at something.

They were both relatively short compared to Greed. Both had long black hair tied back or scraped out of their eyes in a somewhat creative manner. The asian boy, the slightly taller of the two, was smiling, a hand held out in greeting which Ed took quickly and shook. He looked very relaxed for someone who had just sprinted a hundred or so meters through what Ed believed to be hell. He wore a small yellow and white jacket above his equally dirty white shirt - probably from the sweat - it was opened loosely at the top but stuck to his skin by a leather chest wrap. He looked light and thin but it was clear from his job description alone that this couldn't have been the case.

"The name's Ling!" He cheers, shaking Ed's hand with a strong grip. He turns to nod over his shoulder at his companion, who must be Enna, "And that's Envy."

Ed lets go of his hand and offers it hesitantly to Envy. _So she's another one of the people with funny names_. He notes how she seems the same build as Ling, only her clothing was more revealing than his so it was easier to see the lean muscles over her arms, legs and torso.

"Hey." Envy takes his hand and almost crushes it. Her voice was low and grainy, almost too low for a common woman's pitch. It finally dawns on his conscience that there were no women in the glade, Maes had told him so. If one didn't see themselves the same way he'd figured it would have been mentioned to him at least once by now - it was only right.

Feeling awkward for no real reason, Ed removes his hand from the other boy's death grip earning him a loud, rough, cackle of a laugh.

"It's okay, shorty, I know what you're thinking and I really don't care. If it makes it any easier, 'he' and 'him''ll work just fine," Envy, sticks his tongue out, just as Greed had done earlier to set a playful mood, "Just acknowledge I look damn good and we won't have any trouble."

Ed snorts and grins back, recovering quickly and settling into a more relaxed stance, "Whatever." He jabs a finger at him, friendly smirk turning upside down, back into the same expression he'd practically embodied since arriving, "And hey! We're the same stupid height, idiot."

At that, Greed bursts into a laugh from behind and steps forward to wrap his arms around their shoulders, pulling them uncomfortably close. Ling is left mercifully free from having his face shoved into Greed's armpits. Both Ed and Envy squawk in disgust, batting at him and shoving him away, complaints and curses being fired out at an impressive rate.

"Aww, what's wrong guys? Yah don't like your Uncle Greed's best hugs?"

"No one does, y'giant moron!" Envy manages to spit out.

"Ahahah -! Alright, alright, get back to base, kiddies. Cook'll be needing help with the grub - so hop to it!" He releases the two shorter boys and almost throws them back in the direction of the kitchen cabin. Ling almost instantly at their sides at the mention of food.

The asian boy sidles up to Ed and mimics their Leader, his arm snaking over the blonde's shoulder before he can protest, muttering something about which meals he likes best and which Ed just _needs_ to try.

Greed sighs. He can only smile after them, moving to follow until he's stopped by a mechanical groaning in the maze. Purple eyes glance upwards at the rising shadows over the trees before dropping down to see Ed spinning on his heels to look back the way he came. Greed turns slowly to join him in watching the maze begin it's change.

They watch together as the giant walls of stone jolt and rattle in preparation for it's movement. Further inside, the complex of great barriers - over a hundred meters high - rumble and boom, echoing and groaning as they came together and changed. Around them the other three walls were doing the same, scraping loudly against the concrete sending sparks flying until it finally seals shut.

Then there was a moment of overwhelming silence.

Greed breathes out slowly, folding his arms and shaking his head. He'd seen it a hundred times before, but it never got boring. It was fascinating. It was horrifying. He remembers the first time he'd seen it, Bradley had laughed and slapped him on the back, _Bet you never thought those could move, eh, boy! _And it was true enough. Greed had never expected something of that sheer size to be able to move, but move it did.

He glances back over to the boys and grins, the old, learned feeling of claustrophobia washing off him once more.

"Nice, huh?"

Envy and Ling smirk and grab Ed in a loose hold, joining him in staring at the wall, a deep sense of pride on their faces as if, _Yes. This is our home, and we're sharing it with you now._

"Wow." Ed breathes quietly, almost sagging against his companions, staring dumbly at the closed entrance as if anything he could say to describe it would be an understatement of the century. How had he missed that enormous event last night? He couldn't even remember, the memory was a murky shade he couldn't quite reach but it didn't bother him right now. He had some fairly hefty information to process in front of him.

Back in the main campsite, Greed was sat alone on his slightly raised bed. He had left the three boys to get better acquainted, telling them they could have the rest of the day off to chill before supper while he attended to business.

Mustang had visited briefly, reporting his finds from the maze to Greed as soon as they were alone in his room, then promptly left after the discussion to help with other preparations, such as getting everyone out of HQ and finding them a temporary sleeping space while they moved it's new occupant upstairs.

Greed was to join him immediately, but not before rubbing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh of defeat, one that wished this didn't have to happen, one that was sick of losing another friend. His family.

An ear-splitting scream sliced through the air causing Greed to jump, fear crawling in the back of his mind, replacing the dark thoughts.

They must have started moving the poor kid to the cabin already.

More painful shrieks sounded throughout the glade, forcing Greed up - to move, to help. He could hear Envy yelling something over the noise, probably at Ed, telling him to not go near, to stay away. Greed thanks him silently under his breath and rushes through the rabble of curious and equally mortified Gladers to help speed up the moving. No one needed to see this.

They get the Runner up the stairs, stopping frequently to grab his beating legs and flailing arms. The boy had a look of agony and rage in his eyes. He just kept screaming and kicking and shouting things desperately as if he was trying to tell them something important, but at the same time nothing made sense. It was painful to watch.

Worse when Greed saw a flash of complete peace and understanding in the boy's eyes before he was consumed once more by his repeated thrashing, feral sounds rattling his body.

It was like time was standing still. Had he even seen that? Maybe the kid's heart had stopped for a moment, maybe it was nothing, maybe Greed was just so terrified of losing someone else that he was seeing things. He didn't see why it couldn't be a possibility.

A shout from Mustang was enough to get Greed back. Maes had come to help too, a look on his face that spoke of the same pain Greed's did. Soon they were strapping the Runner down while he continued his guttural screaming.

They were exhausted.

"Maes, can you stay here with him? Keep an eye out?" Roy was the only collected one there, though the other two knew he was likely enduring the same feelings of helplessness and fear. You could see it in his eyes.

"S-sure," was the only reply.

"We'll do shifts," He pauses, "Like last time."

The emptiness those three words brought was suffocating.

"Right…"

Greed gives Maes a sympathetic nod, glancing over the body of the boy. He looks possessed, horror in his eyes, words silenced by his own nerve-grinding shrieks.

Greed winces, not taking his eyes off the writhing form strapped to the bed, "... I'll be back soon, be careful, Maes."

And then they're gone, leaving the eldest of the Gladers behind to watch over his charge.

Greed just can't quite shake the feeling he got back there. That crystal clear gaze of understanding that lasted what must have only been a fraction of a second.

Just what was that?


End file.
